ANASTASIA NIKOLAOU

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN OF BUILDINGSEPISODE 2: BUILDING FABRIC RELATIVE HUMIDITY

CHOCOLATE FACTORY AND SHOP

Control of relative humidity

Due to the fact that relative humidity is in high levels during the whole year there is demand for protection of the products from the effects of moisture. A product that can control these effects is Silica Gel.All silica gels are hygroscopic, and respond to the relative humidity (RH) of the surround-ing air in the same way as most organic materials such as paper, textiles and wood. Like organic mate-rials, the amount of moisture in silica gel will increase as the relative humidity rises, and will decrease when relative humidity falls.

Chart of Absorption Capacity of silica gel source:http://www.wisepac.com/service3.asp

As we can see from the graph the absorption capacity of silice gel in 25 C for levels of relative humidity at about 60 and 80 % is 30% to 32%, which means that silica gel can reduce relative humidity 30 %.

The recommended quantity of Art - Sorb silica gel is 8 kg/m³Art-Sorb 4 kg/m³ ( Steven Weintraub, Art Preservation Services Inc., 2000 How does silica gel control the relative humidity within an exhibition case: Available at:: http://talasonline.com/photos/instructions/silica_gel_FAQ.pdf)

This gel is clear in colour and it becomes dark blue as it absorbs water so the relative humidity can be judged by the color of the gel.

For the protection of chocolate from moisture the shelves where the products are stored will For the protection of chocolate from moisture the shelves where the products are stored will incorporate drawers that contain silica gel.

References:

Arthur William, 2007,Cocoa and Chocolate , London: Bibliobazar.Bernard W. Minifie,1989,Chocolate, cocoa, and confectionery: science and technology,New York: Chapman and Hall.CIBSE, Guide A, Environmental design, table 1.4, table 1.5G.Z. Brown and Mark Dekay. 2001.“Sun, wind & light: Architectural Design strategies second editionJoe Huang, Status of Energy Efficient Building Codes in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Joe Huang, Status of Energy Efficient Building Codes in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, India),Asia Business CouncilHong Kong SAR)Lynne Elizabeth. Cassandra Adams,2000, contemporary natural building methodsMeadows. D andSpiegel, R 2006, Green Building materials, A Guide to product selection and spesification, Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Steven Weintraub, Art Preservation Services Inc., 2000 How does silica gel control the relative humidity within an exhibition case: Available at:: http://talasonline.com/photos/instructions/silica_gel_FAQ.pdf)Vasilios Maniatidis & Peter Walker, May 2003, DTi Partners in Innovation Project ‘Developing Rammed Earth for UK Housing: A Review of Rammed Earth Constructionwww.nestle.co.uk/AboutNestle/TheNestleStory/HistoryOfChocolate/MakingAndManufactureOfChocolate/www.architectureforhumanity.org/node/871:Kallari Craft Association Competition Narwww.architectureforhumanity.org/node/871:Kallari Craft Association Competition Nar-rative: project including a chocolate factory for Kallari Craft Association Competitionhwww.bry-air.com/files/app_updates/CandyProcessing.pdfwww.idsgroup.com/profile/pdf/industry_series http://www.bry-air.comwww.flickr.com/photos/sustainablebuildingcentre/122806867/in/photostream)www.wisepac.com/service3.aspwww.talasonline.com/photos/instructions/silica_gel_FAQ.pdf